We Stand Together
by BeckyLynn
Summary: A somewhat Sequel to Little Strife. You really don't have to read the first one. The only way to save a friend is to put yourself in danger. Based around Kingdom hearts but contains FFVII characters too. It's a quest to reclaim Cloud's heart and more.
1. Chapter 1

**Well after I got all those reviews that demanded I continue, and how sad you all were for me supposedly killing Cloud. (I would never do that) I decided that I shall continue writing. This fic is in no way going to be updated as fast as the last one and even that one went slow at times. Yes, even begging me to hurry up wont work. I can't write ideas I don't have. Besides I do have another story that needs attention. **

**Well let's see what you think. Should I continue? If you want to give me hand read the note at the bottom of the page.**

We stand together

Chapter 1

Our Journey Starts Anew

The keyblade master wandered aimlessly through the marketplace. Each step brought forth the small chime and clink of zippers accompanied by chains. His hair bounced in unison with his step; with light brown locks protruding in all directions. His blue eyes ran over the small shopping area. Not many of the townsfolk were out, he noticed. A few moogles were roaming around and save for a few shop keepers, the place was quiet. It gave Sora an oddly depressed feeling. It seemed there was nothing but dead silence.

An old duck, strongly resembling Donald, was standing in front of what appeared to be a walk-in freezer. He wore a tall top hat along with a blue dress shirt. He was equipped with a monocle, and his attire gave him an appearance of wealth.

"Good day, lad. How has my nephew been?"

Sora smiled. "Donald? He's fine, a little edgy maybe."

"Well at least he has his health. Say lad, how about trying out one of my new skateboards, eh?"

Sora taped his chin in thought. "Well, I am off duty."

"That's the spirit. Wait here. I'll be right back." The old duck waddled off to fetch the device.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Inside Merlin's rundown and overcrowded house, Aerith and Tifa were hard at work. They had been scrubbing the floor since early that morning. They had good reason to do so. After all, the place was a cluttered mess! The old stove in the corner was so smothered in dust and ash that the two women refused to even try and cook with it. The table was covered with so many books and crumbled scrolls nobody could set down a dinner plate without it slipping off and clattering to the floor. The small bed in the corner hadn't been made in so long, and the blankets had collected at the end of the bed in a huge knot. The cleanest thing in the house was Cid's computer, and even that attracted dust like a magnet. Not to mention Merlin's finger prints that littered the screen from the many times he threatened to destroy the "infernal piece of junk," as he called it.

Some of the others had offered to stay and help out, but they knew them far too well. They either got in the way or, in Yuffie's case; made a bigger mess. Aerith gave a soft sigh as she thought of all the work they had left. She didn't have time to think about those things. She just had to do them, and time was running short. The others had managed to take Merlin out of their hair for most of the morning, and they wouldn't be able to distract him much longer. Oh how he hated when they moved his things. They would get a lecture for this, but a clean house was a clean house.

A harsh clatter sounded as something collided with the door. "Not heartless now…"Tifa sighed. She and Aerith approached the door together both of them preparing themselves for a fight. Tifa flung the door open, and in an instant the tip of Aerith's staff was against the creatures throat.

"Jeez!" a voice from at her feet yelped. Aerith gasped at her action, and quickly withdrew after realizing what had hit the door.

"Sora, I'm so sorry. We thought you were something else." She was quick to apologize.

He leapt to his feet, and rubbed what was going to be a bruised forehead. "No harm done." His eyes feel onto the skateboard that had skidded away a fair distance, its wheels still spinning and whirling from impact. "Needs a little more tuning."

Tifa chuckled and ran a hand over the door frame. "And we just got this door a week ago. Leon kicked in our last one."

Sora smiled and remembered why he had decided to "drop" by. "How's Kairi been?"

The two girls exchanged a look of concern. "Actually," Aerith began, "We haven't seen her since this morning."

He frowned at the information. It was going to be dark soon; she shouldn't be out when the heartless had free rule of the town. A faint sense of panic was starting to overtake him.

"We sent her to find Cloud, so your best bet would be to check the Ravine Trail."

He gave a quick salute and darted off in the direction of the mountains, leaving them to stand in the doorway. Aerith gave a small wave and stepped back inside. They still had a job to do.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Knowing that Cloud was with her brought him some comfort but not much. _What if she never met up with him? _He wondered. _There are heartless all over the Ravine Trail. She wouldn't have stood a chance._

His feet carried him over the cement streets, past the rundown and abandoned houses, and finally to a tall row of steps. He took them two at a time, tripping over the occasional crack. The steps led to an upper walkway that overlooked the entire town. He didn't take any notice in it. If he had he would have seen that the restoration committee members were insight. An odd clicking and beeping came from the security system as it scanned for any invading heartless and/or nobodies. Sora ignored it as well and took a sharp curve into the entrance of the bailey.

A low groan echoed off the stone walls and caused him to skid to a stop. His breathed slowed and he backed against the nearest wall. "Who's there?" he called as he tried to see around the corner.

"Sora?" Called a voice, "Is that you?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kairi gave a soft sigh. It was time to head back and tell the others. She had been sitting against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest and her head resting in her hands. Slow shuffling footsteps slowly approached. She scrambled to her feet, prepared to run just in case Sephiroth had decided to come after the rest of them. The footsteps continued, and judging by the sound, the owner was limping. A shadow fell across the floor and caused her to gasp. At the sound of her drawing in breath, the footsteps came to a halt, and were replaced by slow labored breaths.

She looked past her fear and darted around the corner. She could have sworn that for a moment her heart actually came to a complete stop. Cloud was lying in a heap on the cold stone ground. His hair was matted with blood and sweat, his sleeve was torn and mangled, and his eyes were held shut in pain.

"Cloud…" she whispered and dropped down beside him, "What happened?"

All he could manage was a pathetic mumble that came out as a groan. She rested a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him. Something cold ran down her finger tips. She yanked away her hand and stared at it in shock. A thick black ooze was dripping off of it. She shivered and, with some difficulty, ignored it. "Cloud, can you stand?" Her question was interrupted.

"Who's there?" a familiar voice echoed of the walls and a wave of relief swept over her.

"Sora is that you?" As she spoke the keyblade master appeared from around the corner. He was smiling. His cheeks were red as if he had been running for miles.

"I was worried that something…" his voice dropped when he noticed Cloud, "Happened."

Kairi wasn't sure what to say. A thousand different things came to mind, but her mouth just couldn't form a single syllable. Sora took care of that.

"I'll find help. Will you be all right staying here?"

All she could do was nod, before he bounded past her and out of sight. Her eyes fell back on Cloud's pained expression. "Don't worry. We'll get help. Just…hang on."

**Yet another reason for what will be very slow coming chapters. You all get to participate. Yay for you! Your requirements- Pick a Disney movie. (it doesn't have to be mentioned in Kh)try and make sure it has a good villain-tell me some of the characters that you want to see from the movie- Then I will make it into one of the worlds they visit. There is a chance that it doesn't have to be a Disney movie. I may accept some games or other movies depending on whether or not I've seen them. Review so we can see if this should be continued. If you don't recommend any movies, I can't write. Of course I may not be able to do all of your ides. It depends on what inspires me. So lend a hand.**

**Here we go again. I do not own Kh or FF. There. I said it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This story is way overdue. I feel awful for not updating sooner but I forgot that school gets harder in the third grading period. OGTs are over so the work load should slow down. I recently got a quickpad and wrote this entire chapter on it so that should also speed things up a little bit. I lost my humor in these past couple chapters but it'll come back as soon as chapter 3 of 4 comes up. **

Chapter 2

Awaken

The room's grey walls gave it an even more drab appearance. A large computer occupied it and that was all. There weren't any pictures or windows. It would have been completely abandoned if not for the single person that had taken up watch in front of the monitor.

Deep red hair hung in front of a dreary face. Its owner, tired and drained, swished it away without a thought. Everything felt out of place. She had been so at home and so happy. What surprised her was the strange feeling of emptiness that came from their most recent trouble involving Cloud.

He was never around before, so why should it matter now? But it did matter. She had gotten him to acknowledge her, which was more then he did for most people. It was hard to tell that he really cared about any of them, but if he didn't he would have left them long ago.

"User?" Asked a computerized voice.

She lifted her head towards the large computer monitor before her and smiled weakly. "Tron, I told you to call me Kairi."

"Understood. I've completed the data search."

A slight glimmer of hope appeared in her crest fallen expression. The one talking to her, Tron, probably couldn't understand this feeling. He was simply a computer program, but at times, he could surprise you.

She reflected on this new feeling in silence. She closed her eyes and let out a long awaited sigh of relief.

"User, have you shut down?"

Her head snapped up when she realized that she had started to stare blankly at the keyboard. She blinked away the blush in her cheeks and quickly replied, "No. I'm listening. Did you find anything?"

"There is not much information known on the subject." Seeing Kairi's face drop forced him to quicken his words, "But I was able to find other similar situations. Perhaps the other users would be interested in this information."

"I'll go and find them." She slid her chair away from the oversized terminal and slowly left the high-tech room. Her hollow footsteps bounced and echoed off of the silver walls of the hallway as the doors slid shut behind her. Left alone, the monitor dimmed until the screen became blank and entered sleep mode.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The small room was fairly silent except for the ragged breathing coming from Cloud, who lay unconscious on the desk. This room had two doors to its name. The first was a wooden door leading out into a maze of hallways. The second was an exact duplicate with one difference, this one lead to the computer room. As for the room with the two doors, its walls were painted a soft yellow. That didn't mater, because the color could barely be seen thanks to the many charts and notes that lined the walls. The notes were scrawled in a delicate handwriting; each and every one of them was about the secrets of the heart. Sketches and theories hung from easels that were propped against one another. The room was doing a fine job of upholding its name, Ansem's study. At some point, many of those charts had lined the desk, but they had been cleared away to make room for a new occupant.

Some of the restoration committee was still unaware that Cloud was currently unconscious and had been placed in the room. After carefully removing Ansem's countless notes, Cloud was laid out on the desk by one of the few people he ever trusted; Leon. Said person remained near his friend at all times, but also guarded the hallway door from any unwanted visitors.

He kept an air of coolness about him. A stern lip and his icy gaze was enough to see right into his heart. They spoke volumes of a life he wished to have back, in the days before the heartless before Organization 13. But then he turned his face away to stare at the door and all signs of any concerns vanished. When he was certain that the others were out of earshot, he dared let out a sigh of worry and grief. True, he had faced many trials but it wasn't everyday he found his friend collapsed in the street. Now, all their hopes rested on Tron. He had been running searches across every possible source; a search that was taking hours to complete. With every second that ticked away, some of their hope faded with it.

"How is he?" Zack asked from the corner of the room.

Leon glanced at the Soldier with disinterest, but it was simply his way of hiding his fear.

"No change…yet."

He had tried not to make it seem as hopeless as it probably was, but judging by Zack's somber expression, it had done nothing.

"I shouldn't have let Sephiroth get away…" Zack murmured and ran a hand through his hair.

Now would have been the time to offer a word of comfort, but that would mean admitting that something was wrong, so Zack just pretended that he had been speaking to himself. The door Leon was guarding began to slowly move inward when Leon threw out his arm to stop it. A short sigh came from the other side.

"It's just me guys." Leon recognized Sora's voice. He removed himself just long enough for Sora to slip inside and then instantly took back his post. Sora's arms were crossed over his chest tightly holding a large paper bag that was overflowing with items.

"You're late…" Leon remarked. Sora motioned at his chest to show that his arms were full, but Leon just stared at him impatiently. He always became like this when he had something on his mind.

Seeing that Leon wasn't going to be of any assistance, Zack helped Sora unload his burden into one of very few open spaces in the room.

"Yuffie was following me. It took forever to lose her." Sora directed his gaze towards Leon "That's why I'm late."

You couldn't blame him for being irritable. He had just spent the past evening arguing with a moogle who wouldn't sell more than one hi potion per customer. Elixirs were out of stock and they were one of the few things that would have definitely pulled Cloud back to consciousness. He began to sort through the different cure items and smiled to himself. "Here." He tossed one of the items into Zack's hand.

Zack's violet eyes looked at it sadly before a small sound outside the door caught his attention. Seeing his stare the others all turned towards the exit. They exchanged worried glances, and slowly edged closer to the door. Sora was the first to press his ear against it to listen. He was silent for a moment before he whispered low. "It's Yuffie."

Meanwhile on the other side of the door Yuffie too had pressed herself as close as humanly possible to the wooden door in order to listen. She squinted in concentration and grumbled something about hearing someone breathing.

Back on the other side, Leon pulled Sora aside and let the door swing open in one smooth motion. There was a loud thump that came from Yuffie falling flat onto her face, followed by Reno who fell just beside her. The two slowly looked upwards with guilty expressions. The others stood around them in a small circle. Yuffie was the first to speak. She propped her chin on the palms of her hands and smiled sweetly.

"So, what'd we miss?" She was surprised when no one scolded her for eavesdropping; instead, she and Reno were hauled to their feet by Zack and Leon who quickly slammed the door.

"Thank you gentlemen," Reno said with a dignified air. He straightened his jacket and faced the desk. "Whoa…"

Yuffie followed suit. The instant she saw Cloud she gave a soft gasp, "Oh…Cloudy!" She shrieked and dove for the desk. "Wha-whats wrong with him?" Nobody answered. "This isn't funny guys…" She nervously twiddled her fingers, and was about to ask again when the computer room door slowly creaked open. Kairi poked her head in shyly through the opening, and gave them an urgent look. Seeing that all eyes were on her, she slipped into the room and didn't bother to close the door behind her.

"Tron finished his search…" There was a quick exchange of glances that shown both surprise, confusion, and hope. Together and without a word, they made their way through the doorway and out of sight. Before leaving Zack took the small item in his hand and placed it on the desk. Yuffie was strangely calm; which was probably because she was curious. She closed the door behind them will a soft click. All who remained was Kairi, the motionless Cloud, Leon, and Sora.

"I'll stay with him." Kairi offered and moved closer to where Cloud was laying. Leon nodded gratefully and turned to Sora. As if he knew what was about to come next, Sora gave an overly strict salute.

"I'll do guard duty." And with that he was gone. Leon left as well and Kairi was left all alone in the cluttered room with nobody but Cloud for company. Not that he had ever been great company before…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

Memories sift around like thick fog in the mind of the subconscious.

"You'll find it. I'm searching too."

Moments of happiness and regret merge together.

"I don't want you involved."

The things he said to protect them.

"You mean you don't want me to be there when you go away?

And yet they didn't want to be protected.

(If those were confusing, they were all quotes from kingdom hearts that really seem to work with this story. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Whatever Tron had found must have been of some help. Why else would the others have been gone so long? Kairi considered this as she slowly twirled her star-shaped lucky charm about in her palms. Each movement made a small noise like the ticking of a clock. It counted down the seconds until the others would come back into the room. The chinking sound stopped as the charm accidentally slipped through her fingers and hit the carpeted floor with a soft bump.

Giving a sigh she slowly bent down and reached her hand beneath the table felt the carpet graze past her fingertips. She tried to look for it, but couldn't see in the darkness under the desk. She pressed closer to the desk to extend her hand further. Suddenly she could feel its smooth texture and closed her fingers around it. Getting up slowly she brushed her hair back and pocketed her charm. Now that meant there was nothing for her to do; nothing to make this any better. She adjusted her hair out of boredom and smoothed out a crease in her shirt.

A slight movement from the blonde on the table drew her attention. And it came again. It was the simple twitching of an eyelash. She moved closer and stared at Cloud thinking she must have seen wrong. But it came a third time and then once more. She moved closer still and worked up the nerve to place her hand on his. Slowly, his eyes slid opened, but only slightly. Kairi stared at him in silence and waited. In a moment's time, his eyes fell on her and for a moment she saw a faint smile cross his lips. He opened his mouth as if to say something but couldn't.

"Are you all right?" He managed a short nod. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She said and went towards the computer room. Cloud managed to roll his eyes at her useless command.

Just as she reached out for the door knob, it turned and the door was shoved open. She gave a small squeak of surprise and jumped away just in time to avoid being hit.

As the others filed in they scanned the room curiously.

"Where's Kairi." Zack asked to no one in particular.

Kairi slid out from behind the door and waved, "Right here!"

"Why were you behind the door, yo?" Reno asked and cocked his head to the side

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Cloud's awake by the way." Everyone instantly looked at Cloud who was dreamily blinking his eyes. They gathered around him and shared a smile of relief.

"Hey Cloud." Zack said gently. Cloud's eyes opened further.

"Hey" he rasped. At that moment Yuffie pushed past them and wrapped her arms tightly around Cloud's shoulders.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again." She pouted. He winced and tried not to show how much her hug hurt.

Kairi opened up the hallway door and called Sora inside. He saw them all crowded around the desk and sighed. "Why am I always the last to find out?"

"Cloud, I'm going to tell Aerith and Tifa on you." Yuffie scolded him and crossed her arms

Cloud suddenly became very worried and practically sprang upwards. "Don't!" He said as loud as he could manage. "You can't."

"Cloud, calm down." Zack told him.

Cloud gave a shallow gasp and fell back onto the desk. They watched as he slowly faded out and fell back into the world of dreams.

"I guess he used up to much energy," Leon sighed and put his hand to his forehead in frustration.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The room changed drastically over the rest of the day. The countless charts and graphs were cleared away and neatly stacked in a corner. The few members of the restoration committee formed a small circle on the carpeted floor to discuss their new information.

"So what'd Tron find?" Sora asked.

"Cloud may have Geostigma." Leon stated.

Yuffie inched forward. "Geoooo Stiiiiiigmaaaa," She sounded it out while counting the syllables on her fingers. "What is that?"

"Nobody is exactly sure, and it's only been seen on one world."

"What world?"

"It doesn't have a name. If it did, no one knows. They abandoned it."

"Why's that." Zack interrupted.

Leon paused and when he continued he was careful to pick his words. "Geostigma is incurable." Those words hurt but the next hurt more. "And it's fatal… Anyone who was on that planet either escaped or…passed away."

A long period of silence fell over them and nobody dared to speak.

"What caused it?" Sora spoke up from a far corner of the room.

"We don't know that either."

"I do." Cloud whispered.

They all turned to Cloud who was using the desk to sit up. Kairi sat closely beside him with a wet cloth and a wrap to bandage his arm. "Sephiroth did this. He stabbed my arm. Now, the darkness just drains in and out."

They took the information in and watched as Kairi carefully worked on patching Cloud up.

"There's still a chance we can find a cure." Zack said and shattered the silence.

"He's right we can go out and look." Sora agreed.

Zack added, "That world has to have some clue about what this thing is."

Leon nodded in agreement. "I've already looked into that. That world is a long ways off. The path ways have all been sealed."

Sora smiled boldly. "Sounds like the keyblade would come in handy."

"Exactly." Leon pointed out. A surge of hope ran through them. "But in order to open the pathways we'll have to search for the keyholes, and who knows where those are." That didn't come as much of a surprise nothing was ever easy for them.

Reno stood up and stretched. "Well when do we leave?"

"We?"

"Yes _we_." He stated plainly. "Besides, Cloud wants us to come."

Leon didn't believe that for a minute, but found himself staring stupidly at Cloud who nodded solemnly.

"I just don't want Aerith and Tifa to get involved, too."

"Thanks for caring about us, Strife." Reno drawled.

"As long as you keep your mouth shut, you can come." Leon mumbled out.

"I feel so honored"

Kairi laughed from beside Yuffie. For just a moment everything seemed perfect. Her friends weren't in danger. They were watching Leon and Reno move closer to one of their common arguments. For this moment in time, everything was fine. It would stay that way until tomorrow when they would board the gummi ship in order to find this peace again and make it last.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**I'm still open for world ideas so feel free to ask. If :D is still out there I really appreciated your review. You really understood where I was going with the story. Now please review. I haven't gotten one since my last update and that was so long ago.**

**Vincent is not currently involved in this story so if you want to see him you better tell me cause I'm not so sure I feel like adding him.**

**Oh yeah, I don't own anything but z plot.**


	3. Chapter 3

**That didn't take too long did it? This chapter is based of the video game Mario. If you've ever played Nintendo then you've played Mario. If not, I'll gladly answer any questions you may have on this chapter and any others. Don't worry this is my only Nintendo based chapter. I know the title is weird but that's actually what it's called. Weird things that may not make sense are sure to follow but hang in there.**

Chapter 3

The Mushroom Kingdom

Note- The first section of this chapter takes place during the first chapter when Sora left to go get help.

Aerith examined the still dusty window and began to scrub furiously, while Tifa threw a fresh cloth over the newly polished table. Aerith finished wiping away the grime of the window and gasped. Peeking through the now clean glass, she could see Merlin and Cid coming their way.

"Tifa, their back!" The two quickly grabbed the reminder of their cleaning supplies and hid them behind a tidy bookshelf.

"Hurry up, Hurry up!" Tifa cried and sat down at the table.

Aerith seized a chair from beside the stove along with two books and tossed one to Tifa, just as the door swung open with a long squeak.

Merlin was in yet another one of his rants. "You young people think I can stay out all day while there are spells that need to be done? That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard." As he rambled on, he pointed his index finger in the air as if what he was saying was complete fact. He walked by the table never noticing Aerith and Tifa who had innocently begun to read the books. "And another thing, I think we've been robbed.

Cid looked around at the spotless house. "Yeah someone came in and stole all our dust." He patted the old man on the back and went back to his computer.

Tifa shot the pilot a warning look and mouthed the word STOP.

"You old ninny" Merlin growled.

Aerith and Tifa exchanged looks and stifled a small snicker. Merlin continued his rant while Aerith and Tifa put their books down with a feeling of satisfaction. The idea that they had gotten away with doing housework was odd but fulfilling. Tifa held her hand out palm side up, all the while her eyes never looked in Aerith's direction. "Nice working with you, partner."

Aerith slapped Tifa's hand and smiled in triumphantly. "A job well done."

Tifa glanced over at Cid and her smile faded. "Hey Cid, where are the others?"

He continued his frantic typing and thought a moment. "They ditched me with the old coot. Leon wandered off towards the bailey. Zack went to run errands and that's all I know."

"What about Yuffie and Reno?"

"Those two? Heck they're probably out chasing butterflies fer all I know."

Aerith spoke up, "Cloud hasn't come back yet either?"

"Nope, Kairi is still out looking for him."

"I hope Sora caught up with them by now…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just on the edge of Radiant Garden the others were working quickly to load the Gummi ship. Inside the ship, everything had been arranged perfectly. The items had been placed neatly into boxes and the large glass windows had been polished to a shine. Nothing was out of place. Even the control panel had been dusted only hours before. This was Cid's ship after all, and it was his pride and joy.

Cloud was assisting by carry items on board, despite Yuffie nagging him to just sit down and rest. He ignored her every command and kept working. He sighed wearily due to the fact that he had not intended for so many of his friends to get involved in any of this. He had wanted to handle it on his own. It would be safer that way. But that didn't mean he wasn't thankful for their help. He proceeded through the ship and back outside. Once there he stared at the remainder of the old castle off in the distance.

"You're leaving again?"

Cloud turned towards the other and nodded. "Yeah Vincent, we're leaving."

"I see." The tall, cloaked man leaned against the side of the ship. "Then I'll be accompanying you."

Cloud looked at him questioningly then he shrugged and walked back down to the others. He muttered something about Vincent joining them and caused Yuffie to squeal, "Vinny is coming too!"

"Comin' where?" Everyone jumped back in surprise and stared at Cid Highwind. He plucked the toothpick from his mouth and used it to point at them. "So where are you kids off to with MY ship?" He didn't even wait for an answer, "Do you have any idea of how worried ya got everybody. We haven' seen ya fer hours."

Yuffie opened her mouth and began to jabber a series of words that couldn't be understood. Leon brushed her aside and explained. "We need a favor, Cid."

"I ain't letting you go on a joyride with my ship." Cid said sternly and crossed his arms.

Reno leaned on Leon's shoulder. "It's not a joyride yo. It's more like a rescue mission."

Cid pinched the toothpick and aimed it at Leon. "What's he babbling' about?"

Leon pulled Cid aside. They stood next to an item shop where the others voices couldn't be heard. "Look," he said, "Clouds sick."

Cid raised an eyebrow and glanced around the side of the shop to catch a glimpse of Cloud. "He seems fine to me."

Leon sighed. "I can't really explain it, but it's true."

"If it you were anyone else, I'd call ya a liar."

Leon took that as a complement.

"Now why is my ship involved in this?"

Leon didn't want to go into details. "The doctors here can't handle it."

"Aright but if anything happens to that ship, it'll be your ass."

"Right. See you late Cid." Leon started for the ship.

"Aren't ya going ta say goodbye to everybody first. They haven't seen you all day.

He quickly shook his head. "They aren't allowed to know."

Cid nodded in understanding. Aerith and Tifa would worry and Merlin would want to try one of his spells and make it worse "They're gonna come asking." Cid stated

Leon thought quickly. "Just tell them that we're on a delivery for you."

"Sounds good. Y'all have a safe trip."

They moved into the ship quickly. By now, the others would be worried, and if Cid had found them the others wouldn't be far behind. Vincent had already boarded the ship and was waiting quietly near the window. Reno was doing the same only he was too busy admiring his reflection to notice the others. Kairi and Sora had taken the chairs closest to the cockpit and were having a long awaited conversation. Zack was sitting near Cloud with a friendly smile on his face. Their weapons had been stacked in the far corner of the ship where they would be out of the way. Leon and Yuffie were at the door. Yuffie was waving her goodbyes to Cid, while Leon urged her to hurry up and close the hatch.

"Hey guys, can we hurry up and leave?" Zack called from his seat.

Leon turned away from the door. "Gladly." He shot Yuffie a warning look.

She instantly became defensive "Alright I'm coming. No need to get cranky. Sheesh." She was about to swing the door shut when her name echoed through the air.

"So close." Leon sighed he went to the doorway and pulled Yuffie inside. Aerith and Tifa were already standing there

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Tifa asked suspiciously.

"We're-"

Cid walked out from behind the ship. "They're delivering some gummi parts for me."

"Weren't you going to tell us?"

"Well, you two have got enough on your plate anyway; besides, this shipment is urgent and it's already late. Now you kids hurry up and get this thing airborne." He slapped the side of the ship and signaled for the girls to follow him. They gave the ship a disappointed glance and followed after him. They watched as the door locked and the ship slowly hovered into the sky. Then, with a rush of wind it was gone. The two girls frowned and turned away.

Cid rubbed his chin in thought. "Y'know… if you two girls got nothing ta do, ya could help me design my new ship."

"You're building another one?" Aerith asked in surprise.

"'Course I am. Don't tell me you think that one is going to come back in one piece."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reno leaned against the window and looked out at the great open space. "So, when exactly are we going to get there?"

Leon shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Reno huffed and took a seat beside Vincent.

He was already bored and they'd only left five minutes ago. A soft groan came from the seat in front of him. He smirked and leaned forward to taunt them. Yuffie, his latest victim sat hunched over cradling her stomach.

"Nice smooth ride right Yuff?"

She began to hum loudly to block him out. "I can't here you hmm hmmmm…"

His smile widened and he continued to taunt her "I wonder if we'll hit any turbulence."

Yuffie's humming became an inward squeal as she tried to repress his voice.

Cloud spun his chair around and calmly threatened, "Reno, if you don't stop, I will lock you in the cargo area."

"He'll do it." Sora whispered, leaning over the back of his seat.

Reno stared at Sora and debated whether or not to believe him. He didn't know Sora that well, and he had a strong belief that kids like to lie. He looked to Cloud. No doubt about it. He was serious. Cloud had that stern look about him. The one that screamed "Don't you dare think about it!" The Turk smiled nervously and shrank back into his chair. Kairi and Sora shared chuckle at his expense. He saw Cloud smile out of accomplishment; which made Reno's face redden to a shade similar to his hair.

Zack smiled softly at them before glancing out the window. He frowned as he thought for a moment. "Hey Leon," he called, "What world is that?"

Everyone turned to look out the glass. There seemingly floating in space was a new world. They could already make out bits and pieces of it. On one side, there was a large castle made of what appeared to be orange brick. Clear skies and a bright sun hung high over head as if welcoming them to land. One the other side of the world, it was a different story. It was a complete alter ego of the other side. There was a second castle that was a dull grey with spires that escalated up to a black sky that every so often streaked with lightening. A bubbling moat of lava churned at it's base. Everything around it seemed dead. The trees were like skeletons and the ground was dry and cracked. As they all looked down upon it, they turned towards Leon.

"There?" Zack asked in disbelief. "We're going there."

Leon nodded and began to steer the ship towards it.

"Hold up yo!" Reno called from his seat while trying to avoid Clouds gaze. "In case you haven't noticed, that place is practically screaming BEWARE IDIOTS THIS PLACE IS EVIL!"

"What's your point?" Leon said and smirked.

Reno blushed now that he looked like he was afraid. "I'm just saying that we got women and children on board maybe we shouldn't rush in to danger like a bunch of morons."

Leon looked at them over his shoulder. "Let's see what the women and children think."

Kairi and Sora looked at one another and shared a knowing smile. "We're up for an adventure." Sora announced and crossed his arms.

"Yuffie?" Leon asked.

She waved her hand at him dismissively. "As long as it gets me out of here, I'm game."

Reno, defeated once again sat back in his chair and stared out the window in annoyance. He didn't like the look of this place. At the first sign of trouble, they could be sure that he would remind them that he was right.

"Just land in the nice looking part of the world. Okay yo?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ship landed with a heavy lurch. Yuffie had practically cart wheeled down the ramp before anyone else was able to get out of their seats. The ramp descended from the door and into a dry patch of dirt. Sora jumped off first and cocked his head to the side when he saw Yuffie's curious expression. She shielded her eyes against the sun and pointed upwards.

"Yuffie what is it?"

"You see that cloud?"

"Yeah…"

"It has a face."

Sora's mouth dropped open. There, plain as day was a large smiley face beaming down at him. And there were others. Every cloud had an expression. (It's like this in the game I'm dead serious) Sora looked away from the clouds and at the rest of this strange world. Small yellow blocks were suspended in midair. Kairi leapt out of the ship and let her mouth drop, too.

Sora pointed at another block this one also had a face. He blinked in disbelief. "I'm ready to go back to the ship now…" He stepped away carefully.

The others came slowly down the ramp. Yuffie spun around to look at them. She threw her arms in the air and exclaimed, "Everything is looking at us!"

Kairi separated herself from the group and approached one of the floating blocks. She reached out a cautious hand and gave the block a small tap. It spun about lazily in the air. A small clink was heard, and she looked down at her feet. A small golden coin was twirling and skittering all over the ground. Somehow it had fallen from within the block. She picked it up and showed it to the others.

"Look," Yuffie exclaimed and pointed to Kairi . "You guys always said that there was no such thing as free money." She giggled at her joke and returned her gaze to the sky. "That cloud looks grumpy."

Reno studied the person standing next to him. "Actually, Strife looks pretty mellow." He poked Cloud's bad arm to make his point. Cloud grunted in response as a sharp prickle tore through him.

"Oh…sorry yo" Reno apologized.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and waved her arms for attention. "Not that Cloud THAT cloud in the sky." Just as she pointed upwards, there was aloud clap of thunder and rain began to pour down upon them. Yuffie gave a laugh of embarrassment. "Guess it was a rain cloud."

In a matter of seconds the rain had already done its job of soaking their clothes all the way through.

"I'm wet…" Kairi sighed and stepped away from the puddle that was forming at her feet.

Reno gave a mischievous smirk. "She's right why aren't any of you melting... Valentine?"

Vincent winced at hearing his name roll off of Reno's quick tongue.

"You know, because you're all dark and stuff?" The Turk was trying hard to clear up the joke that the others hadn't found the least bit funny. "You're all a bunch of stiffs."

Vincent kept himself from swatting the loudmouth upside the head but Leon did it for him.

Sora cleared his throat and asked bluntly, "Why are we standing in the rain?"

Nobody bothered to answer. Leon just led them to a large grove of trees at the edge of the forest to get out of the rain.

As they sloshed through the puddles, Zack leaned down to whisper in Cloud's ear. "So, who put Squall in charge?"

Cloud gave a quick smile. "Nobody. He just has the keys to the ship."

Zack chuckled seeing as how he had gotten Cloud to show some form of happiness.

The impact o the rain lessened when they were entered the safety of the forest.

Zack shook his head in an attempt to dry his hair, but it didn't work. His spiky locks were so soaked that they sagged low.

Reno was angrily pushing his goggles over his eyes because his wet hair was blurring his vision and becoming a nuisance.

Sora and Kairi sat down on a nearby rock. "So, now what?" Sora asked and wrung out his jacket.

As if in reply, a loud scream split the air and echoed all around the forest. It had been so sudden that none of them had heard where it had come from.

Reno's goggles had become foggy so he ripped them off just in time to see their faces. "I told you." He said in a singsong voice.

At that moment, the bushes nearest him trembled violently. He hopped away with a quick yelp. With the speed of Soldier he ducked behind Cloud and stared wide-eyed at the bush. "This way if we get attacked you can die first."

Cloud shook his head partially out of spite but mostly out of pity.

The bushes rattled again and everyone drew their weapons in preparation. A long moment passed and they could only see and hear their breath while it drifted through the air. The bush had stopped moving and now there was only the stillness of the forest.

Yuffie lowered her shurukin and tiptoed over to bush as quietly as possible. As she parted the branches a pink blur sprang out from the foliage and dashed past her. Yuffie whipped around just in time to make out what it was.

It was a girl with long curly blonde hair. She wore a filly pink dress and long white gloves. A small golden crown rested atop her head and was about to fall off. As she ran through them she brushed past Leon only to be snatched up by Zack. She gave a loud shriek and kicked her feet desperately. Trying wriggle free was impossible for someone of her size against the strength of a Soldier. "Put me down you brute!" she squealed and continued to struggle.

"Take it easy." Zack grunted as she tried to elbow him in the stomach.

The rain suddenly stopped and sunlight filtered in through the trees. "Let her a-go!" A voice yelled from a small clearing. They turned and saw a large boulder sitting in a large ray of sunlight.

The blonde girl smiled proudly. "Now you're in for it."

They looked from the girl then back to the boulder. A small Italian man wearing a red shirt and blue overalls jumped in the air. He landed on the rock and pointed a gloved hand at them "It's a-me Mario!" He yelled. "Now let the princess a-go!" He adjusted his matching red hat with a large letter M printed on it. Yuffie gave a small snort when she saw his mustache.

Zack dropped the girl to the ground mostly out of confusion. The girl ran over to the man's side and hugged him. "Thank you, Mario!"

A small blush covered his cheeks for a moment before he leapt down from the rock and approached Zack. "I'll a-teach you to kidnap the princess!" He raised his fists and began to make jabs towards Zack. "A-come on! Lets a-go!"

Zack only stared at the odd display and raised an eyebrow.

"We didn't kidnap anybody!" Reno hollered in annoyance. Everyone stared at him in shock.

"What was that all about?" Yuffie demanded.

The small man named Mario angrily stopped his foot and jumped between them. "Hey I'm a-still here!"

Reno ignored him and turned angrily on all of them. "Look, you guys are clearly going to get into a pointless fight and I'm always the one who gets hurt. Not you me. So everybody just stop." He turned quickly on Mario. "And we didn't kidnap your girlfriend yo!" He took in a deep breath and sat down in the grass. "I'm done."

"Okay, that was really weird to hear from you." Yuffie noted and patted his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

Sora stepped forward. "What they're trying to say is, there's been a misunderstanding."

Mario continued to stare at them accusingly

"Oh come on!" Sora gasped. "We're not going to do anything!"

The princess came up alongside Mario and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being so rude. You see, we're having a bit of a problem right now and you can't be too careful." She giggled out of embarrassment and began the introductions. "This is Mario and I'm Peach. It's a pleasure to meet you." She curtsied and nudged Mario in the side. "They didn't mean any harm Mario."

He nodded slowly and shook Sora's hand.

"Aw how cute," Yuffie giggled, "You're all friends now."

Sora pointed to each of his friends. "The quiet one is Vincent. That's Leon. You've already met Zack. Over there is Kairi. Cloud's the one right next to her. Yuffie is right there. This guy is Reno and I'm Sora."

"What brings you to the Mushroom Kingdom?" Peach asked then added, "You're obviously not from around here."

"Mushroom Kingdom…okay." Sora brushed aside the strange title and skipped right to the point. "Could you two help us out?"

Peach smiled sweetly. "What do you need?"

"We're trying to find the keyhole in this world. You haven't seen one anywhere, have you?"

Peach tapped her chin in thought. "There are a lot in the castle. There's one on every door. Maybe you could look there?"

That wasn't exactly what Sora had meant but they didn't have any other options. "Mind if we take a look?"

"Of course. It's just through these trees." She pointed directly in front of them.

A loud noise echoed through the trees she had just pointed at. It sounded like a loud roar.

"Uh, what was that?" Yuffie whispered and jumped up. The sound came again. This time, it was earsplitting.

Mario pointed behind them. "It's a-Bowser. Run!"

"A what?" Yuffie asked and cocked her head to the side.

"That!" Peach screamed and began to back away. A large shadow fell over them and a feeling of panic was soon to follow. Yuffie look slowly over her should and her jaw dropped.

**Yes that cliffhanger was unnecessary but it'll make it easier for me to start the next chapter. Not too sure when it'll be up. I have to update for my other story first that shouldn't be too hard. Until then thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot. **

**Does anybody want a Pirates of the Caribbean chapter? **

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything except the plot.**


	4. Chapter 4

You'veal ben verypatientwithme andmy wacky third chaptr This one is extra long so we can get on with a new world

**It's been a year and I'm pretty embarrassed but my stories always seem to be late. I wasn't really sure if I was going to continue this one but I did make a promise. I had actually planned to be finished with this story by now but here we are… I know a lot of you don't really care for the whole Nintendo twist but after this there is only one more chapter and then you can have a new world. So give your world suggestions now. I know for sure that I will be including Atlantis. As always thanks for the reviews. After this chapter my writing style may change a little bit. It's becoming a very serious story. I may have to change the summary. I probably shouldn't even be calling this a sequel. **

Chapter 4

A Dividing Line

Yuffie stiffened and tried her best to fight the urge to look over her shoulder. Her hair swished forward as the creature behind her took each laboring breath. Shuddering in worry she looked to her friends and the fear in their eyes said everything. Taking a deep breath to steady herself; she took action. In a swift movement she bounded forward, whipped her arm back, and tossed her shuriken at whatever had towered over her. A loud roar of pain came from the monster just as her weapon returned to her hand. She hit the ground lightly then gawked in surprise when she saw what she had struck. Standing a near ten feet from her a large dinosaur-like creature scratched at its scales where a large gash ran across its face. Its golden yellow and green scales seemed to be made of iron judging from the way they shinned in the little light the forest had to offer. The blood red eyes glowered at them through narrow pupils and sent a chill through their very core. Jagged spines stuck up from its back that was similar to the shell of a turtle

"Yuffie…"Kairi whispered in a hushed voice, but the ninja didn't move. She just kept staring at the beast. The others hadn't noticed but she was certain she had heard the thing speak. In her daze she never realized how dangerous a position she was in. Her thoughts shifted back ten years to the fall of Radiant Garden when she was only a small helpless child. Yuffie didn't snap back to reality until she was suddenly yanked out of the creature's path and into Zack's arms. She blinked dimly when she saw the beast's clawed hand slash out and cut the air where she had been standing. She swallowed heavily and gave Zack a thankful smile only to wince as the beast gave another hideous roar. It stomped its feet and dug furiously at the ground. Was it throwing a tantrum?

"It's going to charge us." Vincent warned and loaded his weapon without a second thought. His words came a bit too late. The beast had already lunged and to their surprise began to spew flames from its gaping mouth. A small patch of ferns on the forest floor had been left dry despite the rain. The thick canopy of trees kept everything sheltered here. That was why it was no surprise when the fire leapt to the ferns and began to spread. It climbed the tree trunks like snakes shriveling in the wind. Cloud hurriedly fired a blast of ice magic at the flames but they only seemed to rise higher. He scowled at the thought of not having enough magic power to use one of the most basic spells. Had he really become so weak? The flames lurched forward and began to smother the ground with its embers

"Time to go." Sora whispered and urged the others to run. The others were in mutual agreement and ran off in various directions.

"Go west! We'll wait there!" Peach yelled over the commotion. At the same time, she managed to accidentally alert the creature as well. It made its way to them in a flurry of growls and stomps. Mario grabbed her hand and the two ran from the scene before the monster could register where they had gone.

Zack and Yuffie ran off through a group of small saplings. She gave a nervous chuckle and caught his eye. "You have to admit it's a lot more fun then restoring Radiant Garden." She had expected him to look bewildered but instead he smiled. She had completely forgotten how different he was from the Leon. Yuffie instantly found herself lost in her thoughts as she considered offering him the position of being her sidekick in her battle to forever annoy Leon. All thoughts of her previous encounter with the monster were forgotten.

Leon, Vincent, and Kairi Ran in the direction of the gummi ship without bothering to look back. Kairi was lead by the wrist as Leon steered her through the maze of trees as the leaves began to smolder only a few yards back. Her other hand clung tightly to his jacket. She did not want to get lost in this place. They could still hear the roars as the sounds vibrated through the air. Kairi bowed her head in dismay when she realized that the others hadn't followed them this way. "Be careful, Sora…" She whispered over her shoulder and let herself be dragged away.

Meanwhile, Cloud, Reno, and Sora tore through thick bushes whose thorns tore at their clothing and snagged their skin. With scratched arms and scraped faces, they broke away from the bramble using fierce tugs and tumbled over themselves. Ducking through vines and weaving in and out of the trees, they ran as fast as they could. A wayward tree root stuck awkwardly out of the dirt and decided to interfere in their escape. As Reno leapt over it, his ankle snagged in the nook and sent him tumbling to the ground. He gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs; his electro-mag rod rolling away. He rolled his eyes at his own stupidity and flicked the hair from his face as he regained his breath.

Sora skidded to a halt noticing that Reno was no longer with them. "Cloud, Hang on!" He called ahead and turned around. Cloud grabbed a gnarled tree to slow himself down. He could see the inferno steadily catching up to them. He followed Sora closely but when they reached Reno, he was already brushing himself off. He tucked his EMR into it holder and smiled.

"I didn't know you guys cared."

Cloud didn't answer only stared over Reno's shoulder with a look of surprise. "Oh…no." Sora gasped and spun Reno around to see. There it was again the great beast following them through the forest. It moved unsurprisingly slow but it was still striking. It lumbered forward and rammed itself into a smoldering tree. "Watch out!" Sora yelped as a bright light entered his vision and jumped to the side as the tree landed just between cloud and Reno; separating them. Sora's look of distress caused Cloud to take a soft tone of voice.

"Just follow the sun and go west. We'll regroup with the princes there."

"Right!" Sora nodded as the flames grew too high and no longer allowed him to see the swordsman.

Cloud turned away from the flames and wiped the soot from his eyes. If anything, he was more worried that Reno and Sora would get themselves lost than he was for himself. On the other side Reno tugged Sora away from the fire and steered him toward the edge of the forest.

Far ahead, past the edge of the forest, Yuffie dropped to her knees and coughed into her hands. Peach stood beside her and flicked ashes from her dress while Mario stood on guard. Leon and Vincent watched as the many trees smoldered and erupted into flame. Kairi shook the soot from her hair and rubbed at her stinging eyes. Yuffie didn't bother to get up. As she adjusted her headband she watched Zack in wonder as he ran off and traveled around the edge of the trees.

"Where is he off to?" She asked anyone who would listen.

Vincent answered her. "Haven't you noticed? We're three people short." Yuffie scowled realizing that Zack was more like Leon than she thought. _Always the hero_. She thought to herself.

Zack raced as close as he could get to the trees without entering the forest. All the while, his eyes scanned every burning ember and every movement for any sign of his friends.

"Zack!" He slid to a swift halt when he heard Sora's voice calling his name. "Zack!" Sora called again and tumbled out of the trees with Reno close behind. Zack sighed in relief and helped Sora get steady on his feet.

"Where ya been yo?" Reno asked cheerfully and smiled as if nothing had happened. Normally Zack would play along but he simply ignored him and turned his attention to more important things.

"Where's Cloud?" He traced his gaze back over the trees.

"Don't know." Sora said still panting from their run. "We got split up."

"Right…" Zack muttered and left the two of them standing there on their own. He took a turn around the outer edge of the forest and leapt over a fallen log. The wind lashed at his face and seemed to be trying to slow his progress. Ignoring the bright setting sun and the burning in his lungs he continued to search. Just up ahead, he could see a black blur standing out amongst the tall grass just a stones throw from the forest. "Cloud," Zack whispered and quickened his place. When he reached his friend he dropped down next to him and caught his breath. Cloud said nothing to him. All he did was clutch his arm and scrunch up his face in pain.

"Cloud, you okay?" Zack asked with concern deep in his voice.

Cloud shook his head and swallowed heavily. "It's nothing. Just give me a second." He grit his teeth together and suppressed a gasp of pain.

"Are you sure?" Zack had that look on his face. It was rare but he was acting the roll of panicked Tifa.

"Yeah, I just…" A chill that burned greater than a flame seared through Cloud's blood before he could finish. His lungs ached and his muscles stiffened. The world before Cloud began to fad and his voice with it. Images flashed before his eyes. Images he couldn't place but at the same time knew very well. The last thing he saw was Zack reaching out to him as he fell to the wet grass. Everything was going silent, but he could still hear the rapid beating of his heart.

The world seemed to change in that moment. It felt as if nothing mattered. Everything stood still and yet it felt as time was racing by. Zack had acted on instinct and grabbed Cloud's infected arm to keep him from falling. Cloud hissed at his touch and Zack had to fight the urge to loosen his hold. Gently, he lowered Cloud down to the wet grass. "Cloud, can you hear me?"

Blinking away the shock Cloud rubbed his face and nodded. The look of worry on Zack's face made him wince. He rubbed the ashes from his cheeks and coughed. "Don't look so worried. I just breathed in too much smoke." He wasn't sure if what he said was a lie or not but judging by Zack's doubtful expression he wasn't going to be able to convince either of them. He knew there was no point in fighting it so he simply turned away from Zack and watched the forest melt to ash. The smoke swirled up towards the sky and clouded out the sunlight. Cloud lost himself in a daydream and didn't realize the shadow that fell over them. Leon's voice reached his ears and a feeling of dread crept over him.

Leon's voice was gruff. He seemed tired and his tone was impatient. "It happened again didn't it?"

Seeing no way out of this, Cloud hung his head and didn't even bother to respond.

"No," Zack interrupted, "It was the smoke." Cloud had to keep himself from gawking at what Zack said. He knew that Zack hadn't believed his excuse and yet here he was lying for him. Leon's icy look pierced into Zack's calm face. It seemed he had caught Zack's fib and he wasn't going to stand for it. The two locked eyes and both refused to back down.

"So what are you all standing around for?" Yuffie's merry voice called to them as she and the others raced over. "We didn't even get to catch our breath and you just decided to ditch us!" She was joking of course but her face turned to a pout when she realized that none of them were paying her a bit of attention. Their presence forced Leon and Zack to break their focus on one another. Cloud moved to his feet before any of them had the chance to notice him.

"Excuse me," Peach asked quietly, "but if everyone is here, then we should get to the castle before he finds us again."

"She has a point." Kairi added in agreement. She smiled innocently. "After all, if I wasn't there you may all have been crushed." They rolled their eyes and looked to Mario who leapt into the air and pointed in the direction of the castle.

"Then let's-a go!" He charged forward and led the way.

As the others followed, Kairi took the chance to ask the question that was bothering her. "So what was that monster?"

Peach was the only one who could answer her. "That was Bowser. He rules over the land that's far from here."

"A monster ruling a castle? So was he the one you were hiding from in the forest?"

"Yes. Bowser has kidnapped me many times and I'm afraid he has become a bit tired of me getting rescued."

"But why is he after you anyway?" Kairi was only becoming more confused.

"He has had plenty of excuses but lately he wants me to marry him."

"Sounds like a problem to me." Yuffie chimed in.

"Yes," Peach sighed. "And I'm sorry for bringing you into it."

As the others talked, Leon fell behind in order to speak with Zack. "Why did you lie?"

Zack stiffened and looked at Leon with a look of surprise. "I didn't lie."

"Lying is not going to get us anywhere. If something happens to him we have to be ready to help. We can't just pretend that everything is fine." He practically hissed his last words to keep himself from yelling.

"I'm not pretending. I know. I know this is serious, but all you do lately is treat him like a kid. He'll never make it through this if he thinks that he's alone."

"Alone…" Leon whispered and stopped walking so that he could face Zack head on. "And how would you know how he feels? The last I checked you've been off chasing after Sephiroth while the rest of us have been trying to rebuild our lives. We were all together again and then you came back expecting everything to be the same. If anything, you're the one who abandoned us. He's alone because of you"

"I just…" Zack didn't know what to say. Had he really been so selfish? He understood that Leon was only saying these things because he was worried about Cloud. It was nothing against him but still… Zack wondered if Leon really did feel that way. Maybe he had abandoned them. He looked away from Leon. It was his only way of saying that he was finished with their _talk_. Seeing this Leon walked away and his face became void of all emotion. Many of the others had not even noticed their discussion and they never would.

Zack remained rooted to the spot and voiced one of his many concerns. "Whatever happened to Squall?' His voice was swallowed by the wind and the crackling of the burning forest. He was surprised to see that Vincent had come back to see what was taking so long. The dark man gave him one of his usual silent looks. The others were glancing back at them curiously while Leon just looked distant. Zack caught a short glimpse of Cloud's concerned face before Vincent stood between them.

"Squall is gone." The dark man said calmly and motioned for Zack to follow.

**There! I have more conflict now. I hope you enjoyed it. Should I still continue this? It is really up to you guys.**

**Disclaimer- I only own the plot. **


End file.
